


Know Thyself

by MelayneSeahawk



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: M/M, Surprise! You're in Love, Virtual Reality
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-07
Updated: 2019-08-07
Packaged: 2020-08-11 14:22:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20155021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MelayneSeahawk/pseuds/MelayneSeahawk
Summary: “The Maryko is our top-of-the-line entertainment tech right now,” the head scientist—game developer?—was saying, mostly to Carter and Teal’c. “We're very proud of the way we've been able to integrate multiple minds into a single session with minimal incompatibilities, even in an open world scenario such as the one Dr. Jackson and General O'Neill just saw.”





	Know Thyself

**Author's Note:**

  * For [theemdash](https://archiveofourown.org/users/theemdash/gifts).

> for J/D Promptathon 2019, where theemdash prompted: A virtual reality world has Jack and Daniel believing they are happily married members of SG-1, but when they're pulled out they have to come to terms with if what they felt in that world was real or fabricated.
> 
> betaed by theemdash

Jack sat up quickly, head swimming while he got his bearings. Lab of some sort. Wires connecting his head to a... machine. Voices coming from behind. Last thing he remembered was kissing Daniel goodnight and curling up beside him to sleep—no, that was the simulation, the last real thing he remembered was…

“Give it a moment, coming out of the Maryko can be a little disorienting,” a voice said, and a smiling technician appeared at his side to steady him.

He looked around as his head began to clear. P3X-something-something. Foggy planet, friendly people, no sign of Goa’uld activity. The fine details were still a little muddled, but Carter and Teal’c were standing with the head scientist guy, and their postures were both open and relaxed, which calmed Jack’s nerves a bit. He glanced over at Daniel, who was merrily plucking wires off his face, seeming to have a much easier time adjusting from the machine. He smiled at the technician helping him, and the sense memory of kissing those lips tingled across Jack's lips.

“The Maryko is our top-of-the-line entertainment tech right now,” the head scientist—game developer?—was saying, mostly to Carter and Teal’c. “We're very proud of the way we've been able to integrate multiple minds into a single session with minimal incompatibilities, even in an open world scenario such as the one Dr. Jackson and General O'Neill just saw.”

Open world. It was a shared experience. Jack cut a look to Daniel again, but he had his “making nice with powerful aliens” game-face on, so it was impossible to tell what he might be thinking.

“Pretty cool test drive, though,” Jack said, with what he hoped was an appropriate level of enthusiasm. He was distracted from what he'd just experienced, head spinning from the new information. Him, back on SG-1? Not an unexpected fantasy. But he and Daniel an item? Maybe married even? He needed to talk to Daniel in private right away, to get their stories straight. Jack tried to catch Daniel's eye, but either the technician talking to him was extremely interesting or Daniel was avoiding looking at Jack.

Or maybe just never talk about the scenario at all. Never. Never sounded good.

Jack managed to get through the rest of the meet-and-greet without too much difficulty just by letting Carter take the lead. The science demonstration turned into a cultural presentation which Daniel lapped up as usual, and Jack was able to smile and nod and not think about what it might be like to kiss Daniel outside of a simulation.

The Tamaryki were excellent potential allies, and after the presentations, SG-1 did the usual shake hands and make vague promises part, agreeing to send a diplomatic team to hammer out the details. Then it was back through the ‘gate and home.

“It’s late,” Jack said when they were back in the ‘gate room. “We can do the debrief in the morning.” The others moved away to the locker rooms, but Daniel hung back, expression still firmly opaque. “Alright?” Jack asked, stepping up beside him.

“Fine, just tired.” Daniel removed his glasses to rub the bridge of his nose. “Do you still have a bit of a headache?”

“Eh, a little,” Jack said, hoping he sounded casual. A memory of Daniel caressing his cheek had suddenly popped into his mind. “See you tomorrow, then.”

For a moment, to Jack’s horror, Daniel looked like he wanted to say more, but then he shook his head and moved on to follow the others.

Jack decided to bypass the locker rooms and headed up to his office, going through the tedious process of checking his email and logging out for the day. He didn’t get to go offworld often any more, but even a few hours away from his desk meant tons of email when he was back. He answered the three messages that were actually urgent, ignored the rest, and headed topside.

He didn’t let himself think about the scenario until he was home, changed into comfy civvies, and plopped on the couch with a beer. He set aside the easy stuff first: being on SG-1 with Daniel and the others had given him some of his best memories (and worst, true), and it’s the thing he and Daniel had in common, so perhaps it wasn’t surprising that the ‘open world scenario’ the machine had pulled from their minds had revolved around that. The mission itself had been indistinct and forgettable, like the details of a dream, so Jack didn’t dwell on that, either.

Which left the hard part. Why had he and Daniel imagined they were in a relationship?

The scientists had said that the Maryko would pull its ideas from both of them equally, automatically adjusting to minimize contradictions that might throw a person out of the scenario. So, even if the relationship idea had come completely from Daniel’s brain—Jack’s mind stalled on that idea for a moment before he resolutely pushed through it—Jack’s own mind hadn’t rejected it. Had accepted it enough that the whole scenario had focused more around their imagined relationship than on the mission itself.

Was he in love with Daniel?

Jack heaved a discontented sigh, taking a long drink from his beer, finishing the bottle and reaching for another. Even with everything they’d gone through, Daniel was his best friend. He knew Jack better than maybe anyone ever had, even Sara. There was definitely love there, but was it the kissing kind?

And, and! Objectively, he knew Daniel was an attractive guy, but Jack had never been attracted to guys. Well, ok, being honest, he’d never really thought about it. It wasn’t anything he’d had any exposure to as a kid, and then he was in the military and married to Sara, so it wouldn't have even mattered. And after Sara—after Charlie—he hadn’t really thought about relationships, any of that stuff. Just the work, the team… Daniel?

The doorbell rang, and Jack jumped. He knew, without a doubt, who it was, who he'd hoped would be standing outside his door. Putting down his beer, he went to answer it, throwing the door wide to let Daniel inside. They didn’t speak as Daniel followed him to the den, and then they stood close together, the mask Daniel had been wearing earlier enhanced by the low light.

But Jack knew what Daniel was thinking, because it seemed like it was what Jack had been thinking, too.

“Jack, I—” Daniel began, but Jack cut him off, for once knowing exactly what to do.

The kiss was soft at first, an undemanding press of lips, hands cupping Daniel’s stubbled jaw. Daniel made a quiet sound and pressed closer, hands coming up to Jack’s hips, fingertips digging in above the waistband of his jeans. Jack closed any remaining gap between them and the kiss deepened, going from chaste to a little dirty in the span of a heartbeat.

After countless minutes they broke the kiss, pulling back just enough to breathe. “Let me take you to dinner,” Jack said, voice suddenly hoarse.

“We should probably talk about this.” Daniel didn’t pull away or even move his hands.

“Over dinner,” Jack insisted, surprised at the desperate edge in his voice.

Daniel turned his head, pressing a kiss into Jack’s palm. “Alright, I’d like that,” he said, with a mischievous smile. “Now?”

“Maybe in a few minutes,” Jack said, unwilling to let go just yet. He rested his forehead against Daniel’s forehead, just basking. Daniel’s hands tightened at his waist, and Jack found it suddenly easier to breathe.

**Author's Note:**

> [reblog link](https://melayneseahawk.tumblr.com/post/186846326649/know-thyself-melayneseahawk-stargate-sg-1)
> 
> Find me on [tumblr](https://melayneseahawk.tumblr.com/)!


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